WUSTL Photo Services

Junior Marilee Fisher and senior Kristen Thomas compete in the Washington University Invitational this weekend. The Bears closed out the weekend with three victories, including a new capital Division III record for the most consecutive set victories against Lindenwood University.

The Bears began Saturday by winning their 58th straight set, breaking a Division III record established in 2007 by the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. They won their next five sets of the weekend as well, sweeping four matches to win the Washington University Invitational.

With these wins, the team now has the fifth-longest consecutive set streak in NCAA history across all divisions.

“It’s a great accomplishment for the team and it’s nice to have the record here at Wash. U. We’re just going to keep moving forward and keep trying to build on that record,” sophomore Kaia Schwartz said.

Wash. U. appeared eager to set the record, as it jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the first set against Division II Lindenwood University and never looked back. The team ended the set with a 25-13 victory.

“It was one of those matches when you put all phases of your games together. The kids came in very motivated,” head coach Rich Luenemann said.

The strong play continued for the Bears as they took the match 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-16). Senior Lauren Budde led the team in kills with 14, while Schwartz had 10 with no errors on 15 attempts for an impressive .667 hitting percentage. The team as a whole hit .388 in the match, its best mark for the weekend.

The Red and Green also received strong contributions from its defense, both up front and in the back row. The team totaled eight blocks, including two solo blocks from sophomore Meghan Byrne, and 47 digs, with junior Kelly Pang’s 18 leading the way.

In the weekend’s final match, against Culver-Stockton College, Wash. U. used a mixture of its typical starters and some of its backups to take the first two sets with ease. However, in the third set, the Bears received the toughest challenge yet to their historic streak.

The team trailed throughout the set and faced a 24-20 deficit, with Culver-Stockton one point away from ending the streak. Budde placed a kill to bring service back to the Bears, and sophomore Tanya Marvi helped serve the team to five straight points. An ace by Marvi tied the match at 24, and two more kills from Budde—who had eight of her 12 kills in the third set—ended the set and the 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 26-24) match.

“We just never give up and think ‘Oh, OK, they can have this set, we’ll take the next one.’ No. This set is ours. Every set is ours,” Marvi said. “They can’t take anything from us. We just keep on fighting and I’m really proud of us.”

Budde and Byrne led the team with 12 kills each in the match. Sophomore Megan Odenthal and junior Marilee Fisher split the setting duties, with 19 and 14 assists, respectively. The Bears’ hitting percentage in the match was .352.

On Friday, the Bears began the weekend with 3-0 wins over Fontbonne University (25-7, 25-8, 25-19) and Millikin University (25-13, 25-22, 25-22). Their final set victory over Millikin tied the consecutive set record, putting the team in position to break the record on Saturday.

Budde (team-high 42 kills on the weekend), Fisher (77 assists), and Schwartz (24 kills, two solo blocks, six block assists) were each named to the All-Tournament team.

“I feel like, because my team was playing so well, it allowed me to get some great hits and play well. It’s all thanks to my team,” Schwartz said of the honor.

The Bears will get possibly their biggest test of the season next weekend in Rochester, N.Y., as they will face No. 3 Emory University and No. 16 University of Chicago in the second week of University Athletic Association Round Robin.

Emory handed the Bears their last two losses of the 2010 season, but they know that the entire weekend will be a challenge.

“We’re playing who we consider our four toughest UAA opponents this coming weekend. We’re going in there and we’re playing some really tough teams,” Luenemann said. “We can’t just focus on Emory, we’ve got to focus on one opponent at a time.”

In the annual Show-Me Showdown on Oct. 8, hosted by the University of Missouri on Oct. 8, the Bears faced six other in-state teams.

“It is a very competitive meet,” head coach Brad Shively said. “University of Missouri started it about half a dozen years ago to bring all of the schools together for a meet. It always has unusual distances and a ton of relays, but it’s a great opportunity to race and get some swims in.”

William Jewell College, Lindenwood University, Drury University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Wash. U., Missouri State University and the University of Missouri all participated as a way to promote college swimming across the state.

“There are really tough schools from Division I and II who are out of our league, but its more about getting racing experience and trying to finish well,” sophomore Chi Pham said.

The lineup of schools was highly competitive, with many non-Division III colleges. Mizzou is a top Division I program, and Drury is a prime Division II team.

“We didn’t go in trying to win but we wanted to get some more races in,” Shively said. “We are looking for more swimming and how we are swimming. We are trying to get the competitive juices flowing.”

The NCAA regulates 50, 100, 200 and 1,000-yard events; however, the Show-Me Showdown featured 75-yard and 150-yard swims. The difference changed the swimmers’ times drastically, and are therefore less helpful in evaluating how the team did.

“We didn’t look at results to see where we finished,” Shively said. “We didn’t learn anything from how we placed, but we did from how we swam and our pacing. We aren’t going to judge it on stats, but we will judge on intensity and work ethic, which were both great.”

Even with the stiff competition, the Bears proved their worth in freestyle, butterfly and the relays. Pham captured seventh place in butterfly and junior Brendan Morin took eighth.

“A lot of people stepped up and had some swims that were much better than the week before,” Shively said.

This tournament featured more relays than the team normally swims, with three or four happening at a time. Most swimmers competed in more than seven events this week.

“All of our relay events went really well,” Pham said. “In the 400-yard relay, freshmen Luke Dobben and Adam Seroka did really well.”

The entire team was extremely happy with its intensity at the tournament.

“The spirit or sense of comradery has the opportunity to help galvanize and get everyone on the same page,” Shively said. “I thought the spirit and intensity was just great.”

The Bears’ are on a three-week break before their next meet, an Oct. 29 matchup with DePauw University at home.

“Our next meet isn’t for a few weeks so we have some time to improve right now,” Shively said. “We are going to look at the film and see what each player needs to work on. We are looking at the meets down the road a few months so we need to put in some hard work.”

Matt Mitgang | Student Life

Then senior Jennifer Varriano (Left) and sophomore Meghan Byrne (Right) block an attack by St. Olaf College’s Melissa Burch in the first match of the Washington University/Asics National Invitational in 2010. Byrne is part of a roster with the talent and experience necessary for a shot at a championship.

Coming off of a heartbreaking national semifinal loss to Emory University last year at the Wash. U. Field House, the team once again has its sights set on the ultimate prize.

“Our focus is always to win the national championship. And that’s not a grandiose goal because if indeed it’s something that you’ve done in the past, you have the capability to do it again,” head coach Rich Luenemann said. “I think the kids came in very prepared, very motivated for this season.”

Success has long been the expectation of the Wash. U. volleyball program. Eight current members of the team were on the 2009 championship squad, which was the most recent of the school’s 10 national titles.

With Marya Kaminski, Ali Hoffman and Jennifer Varriano—last year’s seniors, captains and team leaders—gone, the task of making sure the whole team knows the goals and expectations is up to the team’s new captains.

That group of captains includes seniors Lauren Budde, Tricia Brandt, Kristen Thomas, Brittany Mikottis and junior Marilee Fisher.

“Each one of the captains has a very special gift to offer to the team, and as a group, they’re extraordinary,” Luenemann said.

Along with its new leadership, the team remains loaded with recognized talent. Three 2010 All-Americans (Budde, Fisher, and junior Kelly Pang) and two honorable mentions (junior Drew Hargrave and sophomore Meghan Byrne) highlight the roster.

At the hitter positions, Budde leads the way in the middle, with Hargrave and Byrne coming off excellent years at the outsides. The preseason, according to Luenemann, has given the team time to evaluate the depth up front, and several players are pushing for additional time and spots in the team’s rotation. Thomas, Mikottis, sophomores Tessa Blood, Kaia Schwartz and Emily Tulloch and multiple freshmen have been strong in practices—not just competing for roles in the rotation but also as good competition for the first team.

“It’s great that we have competitions in practices because that makes our team that much better,” Budde said. “We constantly have people pushing each other to get better and constantly fighting for a spot on the floor. It’s just great to go into practice and always face a challenge.”

Couple the outstanding depth with Fisher, the two-time NCAA Division III leader in assists per set, setting for the team’s many hitters, and the team has the potential to be devastating up front.

The team’s back row also features excellent depth. Pang remains the unit’s anchor after two straight All-American seasons. Brandt’s return to the full-time lineup after missing much of last season is a huge boost. Sophomore Tanya Marvi and freshman Lauren Yung bolster the rotation even further.

No matter what combination of six players Luenemann will have out on the court, the potential is clear: This team is stacked with talent, and with a touch of added motivation it knows it has a chance to win six straight games in the NCAA Tournament. But much has to be done between now and then, and the team recognizes that.

“The girls who have experience winning a national championship, we’re always hungry for that,” Fisher, a member of the 2009 championship team, said. “That’s always going to be in the back of our minds….But you can’t do anything about a game that’s two months from now.”

Fortunately, there won’t be much room for complacency between now and November; the team faces a schedule loaded with 10 ranked teams, including four of the top seven.

“You play the best to become the best. If you don’t play the best, you don’t know how you measure up,” Luenemann said. “We’ll play Godzilla, King Kong if they come out here. We’ll play those guys.”

The Bears begin play Thursday against Harris-Stowe State University at 3 p.m. and Culver-Stockton College at 5:15 p.m.

Upcoming Women’s Soccer Games

Sept. 1
Season opener against Missouri Baptist University at Francis Field.

Sept. 17
The Bears host No. 7 Wheaton College, who defeated Wash. U. 2-0 last season.

Oct. 9
The Red and Green travel to Atlanta, Ga. to face No. 5 Emory University hoping to come home with a big UAA victory.

Oct. 23
The Bears face their third Top-10 team of the season when they travel to Dubuque, Iowa to face No. 8 Loras College.

Nov. 5
Wash. U. closes the season by traveling to face 20th-ranked and defending UAA Champion University of Chicago.

For the Washington University women’s soccer team, 2010 and 2011 could not be any different.

Last season, the Bears fielded just six returning starters en route to an 11-8-2 record, a fourth-place conference finish and a second-round NCAA tournament exit. The fourth-place conference finish broke the Bears’ streak of four consecutive conference titles.

All but one starter from that team have returned, and, with a more experienced lineup, the Bears are expecting a major turnaround in 2011.

“Obviously, it’s a huge flip from last year. Last year we had one senior and we struggled a little bit; all of us were stepping up into roles we weren’t used to,” senior forward Emma Brown said. “We came into this year and…everyone has just been so mature. It’s amazing to have so many different leaders in every position on and off the field, so it’s definitely a nice change.”

Among the 10 returning starters are four seniors and four juniors, but the entire team’s roster is dotted with upperclassmen.

“We think our veteran roster, with…17 juniors and seniors, will just make us a little bit smarter in our preparation each day. I think they know what’s expected of a player inside the locker room with us and inside the women’s soccer family, and we’re just trying to make sure that we prepare day by day,” head coach Jim Conlon said, “and if our juniors and seniors can lead us in the right direction, that will be helpful.”

Senior co-captains Brown and midfielder Lee Ann Felder will be major contributors to the Bears’ success. The two combined for nine goals and 25 points last season, both earning all-conference first team honors. Brown is tied for 10th in program history with 21 career goals.

“Emma Brown and Lee Ann Felder are going to be two [seniors] that we expect to lead us and set the tone for other players on the field from day-to-day habits to in-game management to making sure our team is doing the right thing at the right moments,” Conlon said.

Despite Brown and Felder’s efforts, the offense rarely came together last season. Wash. U. was held scoreless eight times in 2010, but in four of the Bears’ eight total losses, the team allowed just one goal. The team allowed more than two goals in just one game all season.

“If you look at a lot of those games, we had opportunities at various times to score goals or maybe prevent a goal. I think if we all do what’s asked, and we give to the game plan and what we’re trying to do, it will turn out well for us and the results might change,” Conlon said.

Junior goalkeeper Clara Jaques believes the Bears’ will have a much more potent attack this season.

“Offensively, I think we’re looking really strong this year,” she said. “All three [Wash. U.] goalies are feeling even more challenged in practice than in years passed, and we’re very confident in our scoring ability, so we’re excited to see that and display it against opponents.”

Jaques, who posted 0.71 goals against average in 21 games last season, is ready to have another big year. Despite needing knee surgery last March for a torn meniscus, Jaques says that she feels “great” and is prepared for the start of the season.

In the University Athletic Association Preseason Conference Coaches Poll, Wash. U. was picked to finish third, behind No. 5 Emory University and defending conference champion No. 20 University of Chicago.

While the team’s conference schedule is expected to be tough, its non-conference schedule includes matchups with four other teams ranked in the NSCAA Top-25 preseason poll. However, the team insists that it is approaching the schedule game-by-game.

“We’re not looking towards weeks or months from now; we’re looking at our first opponent, trying to go day by day in our growing process and get ready for Missouri Baptist,” Conlon said.

The Bears will open the 2011 season against Missouri Baptist University at home on Thursday and will travel to Bloomington, Ill., this weekend to face Calvin College and Whitworth University.

“[We need to] focus our excited energy into good soccer, the best soccer we can play, and play to our potential. If we can play to our potential, then we’re pretty confident in our chances against pretty much anyone,” Jaques said.

Kickoff against Missouri Baptist is at 7:30 p.m. on Francis Field.

Nathaniel Margolies | Student Life

Senior Max Woods serves the ball against UMSL on April 13. Woods stepped into the No. 1 singles role on Saturday and boasted a win over No. 21 Juan Carlos Perez.

The No. 6 Bears started off the day with a 3-0 sweep in doubles for the seventh time this season. Sophomores Gary Parizher, Kareem Farah and Bryan Haywood, along with freshman Tim Noack, each took straight-set victories in third, fourth, fifth and sixth singles, respectively. In first singles, senior Max Woods boasted an impressive win over No. 21 Juan Carlos Perez, 6-4, 6-4.

Farah, who won his singles match 6-0, 6-0, improved his singles record to 16-5 on the season. At fourth singles, Farah exemplified the edge that the Bears own in singles depth.

“I was just using my strengths well, hitting my serve well and hitting my forehand well,” Farah said. “[Grinnell] is not the toughest team on our schedule, so it just wasn’t as difficult of a match as some of them in the past.”

Woods stepped into the No. 1 singles role, which usually belongs to senior Isaac Stein, for the third time in the past three weeks. Stein has been suffering from a bulging disc in his lower back, which has limited his playing time, but head coach Roger Follmer has tried to give Stein enough match play to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

“I planned on playing the same lineup as we did at UAAs, but then Isaac said he was supposed to get an injection on Friday, [the day before the match]. You are supposed to have 48 hours in between when you get the injection and when you compete,” Follmer said. “I asked if he could get the injection on Wednesday or Thursday, but he couldn’t get the injection any earlier, so I said ‘OK, you’re going to play doubles for sure, but [I] don’t think it’s a good idea for you to play singles.’”

In singles, players have an incentive to face highly ranked regional opponents to improve their own regional ranking. Therefore, removing Stein from the lineup hurt Perez’s opportunity to face the No. 12 singles player, but gave Woods a chance to face one of the top players in the region. Follmer emphasized the fact that removing a top player from the lineup so late is usually a faux pax, but in this instance, he had no choice.

“It was pushing it even to put [Stein] in doubles, and I felt bad about pulling him out of singles, but I had to,” Follmer said. “I purposely did not coach Max during his match though. I felt bad about the whole situation.”

Despite the change in game plan, Stein and Woods put together an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles. Follmer believes that Stein’s injury made him more aware and inclined to take advantage of opportunities to shorten points.

“It reminded me of last year’s [ITA Central Region tournament] when Isaac had the flu, and we pulled him out of singles because he couldn’t do both [singles and doubles],” Follmer said. “He wasn’t 100 percent, just like now he’s not 100 percent, but it forces you to be more aware of getting first serves in and playing smart. On [Saturday], that was as good of doubles as I have seen.”

The Bears will host their fifth annual Special Olympics Clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, and will cap off the regular season on Saturday, May 7 against No. 19 DePauw University. After that, the team has its sights set high.

“I think it’s pretty simple,” Farah said. “I expect to win a national championship.”

The women’s team tied for 27th place with eight points, and the distance-medley relay squad of Jessica Londeree, Shannon Howell, Erica Jackey and Liz Phillips finished as national runners-up (11:49.01).

The Bears produced two NCAA automatic qualifying cuts and 20 NCAA provisionally qualifying cuts, nine of which would have qualified for the 2010 NCAA Championships.

The official qualifying times for the 2011 NCAA Division III Championships will be relased on Mar. 8.

Even though the women finished fourth and the men finished fifth out of seven teams in the UAA and watched rival Emory University run away with the meet on both sides, the teams looked on the brighter side in their evaluation.

“We weren’t disappointed, far from disappointed actually,” senior David Chao said. “Every guy gave it his all….We wanted to [finish in the] top two, but we were the smallest team in the UAA, and depth really matters here. Having the smallest team is a disadvantage here, but I think everyone brought something to the table, and we were really happy.”

Like he has all season, Chao shined for the Bears. He tied for second in the 50-yard freestyle and was a part of the second-place 200 freestyle relay on Thursday. On Friday, he followed with second place in the 200-freestyle and was a part of the second-place 200-medley relay and the second-place 800-freestyle relay.

He was also a member of the second-place 400-freestyle relay and finally broke through with a win in his last individual event, the 100 freestyle.

“I was sick and tired of getting second to Emory,” Chao said. “My goal was to hold back the Emory guys, and they were second and third. It was my last event, so it had to be good…luckily, things turned out in my favor, and I was happy with the way the race went. It was a lifetime best for me, and it has a great shot at qualifying for nationals.”

Sophomore Brendan Morin set a new Wash. U. record, finishing first in the 100 butterfly on Friday with a time of 49.87 seconds, a time that would have qualified in the championship meet in 2010.

Senior Kartik Anjur wrapped up the individual events Friday with a win and new school record in the 100 backstroke. His time of 51.02 seconds was 0.04 faster than his school record, set at the Wheaton Invitational earlier this season, and also would have qualified for nationals in 2010.

Freshman Chi Pham once again led the way for the women’s team. Pham swam NCAA-qualifying times in two events, won one race, and set provisional times in five other events, en route to being named UAA Rookie of the Year.

“It’s really great, and I’m really happy,” Pham said when asked about the honor. “It’s tradition for the male and female Rookies of the Year to kiss, but that didn’t happen. Bummer!”

On Thursday, Pham was one of four women to break the UAA record in the 200-individual medley, but she finished in second after leading most of the way. Carnegie Mellon’s Molly Evans swam a strong final leg to take the race.

“[Evans] really came out of nowhere,” Pham said. “I didn’t see her coming. She had an amazing last 50. I guess there’s always next time.”

Pham got her win in the 100 backstroke on Friday, where she broke away from UAA record-holder Jackie Schneider of Emory in the last 50 yards. The two had identical times in the first 50 yards, but Pham prevailed by 0.12 seconds. Her final time of 56.88 seconds was an NCAA “A” cut.

“I was kind of surprised to win in the backstroke,” Pham said. “The only thing I was thinking about was finishing as hard as I could. I really couldn’t believe I won.”

The school record in the 200-freestyle relay fell on Thursday thanks to a second-place swim from junior Karina Stridh, freshman Allison Siegel, Pham and junior Amy Vanlishout. Their time of 1:36.49 was good for an NCAA “B” cut.

The Bears travel to Chicago next weekend for the Midwest Invitational, their final chance to set qualifying times for the March 23-26 NCAA Division III Championships.

The third-ranked Bears fell to No. 1 Emory University, 3-1 (18-25, 29-27, 25-21, 25-20), ending the team’s season in the Wash. U. Field House in front of a crowd of 1,722.

The two squads had faced off twice this year, with the Bears taking the first match-up in University Athletic Association (UAA) regular season play by a 3-2 score on Oct. 16 and the Eagles returned the favor on Nov. 6 with a 3-1 win in the conference championship match.

With two teams very familiar with each other squaring off one last time, Emory took the rubber match and brought Wash. U.’s season to an end.

“One loss…it hurts, but it doesn’t make our season anywhere close to a failure,” head coach Rich Luenemann said. “We lost to a very good team.”

As they had in every game in the tournament, the Bears came out strong in the first set, largely thanks to freshman Tessa Blood’s four kills in the Bears’ first 10 points. After Emory fought back to a 14-14 tie, Wash. U. made a decisive 6-1 run behind freshman Meghan Byrne’s serve and would take the set on a kill by freshman Kaia Schwartz.

The team hit .324 on the set with 16 kills and five errors. Also of note, on the defensive side, was sophomore All-American Kelly Pang, who registered nine digs – including an incredible three on a single rally early in the set.

“We did a really good job scouting,” Pang said. “Our block did a good job closing, so I was able to work around it and dig the shots up.”

But after the first set, Emory slowly started to turn the match in its favor. The Eagles maintained a slim lead over nearly the entire set, only letting the Bears get more than two points in a row once, and after the teams traded points from 21-21 to 27-27, Emory finally pulled away in the final two points to win the set 29-27.

Sophomore Marilee Fisher’s 15 assists paced the offense in the second set, as Byrne and Blood both picked up five more kills.

The third set went back and forth, as the two teams were tied nine times until the score hit 18-18. The Eagles then inched out to a 22-21 lead before grabbing the last three points of the set to take a 2-1 lead. After the Bears’ strong first set, the team hit .228 in the second and third sets – compared to .309 for the Eagles.

“They had some big swings toward the end of the second game and then into the third game,” Luenemann said. “I think something like that can demoralize a team, but it didn’t demoralize us. We went back to the bench and talked about being more aggressive coming out.”

Down 2-1, the Bears were in familiar territory: they came back from down 2-1 against three ranked teams this year – in fact, most recently against the Eagles on October 16 – and did the same in this round last year against Hope College. Unfortunately for the Bears, they were unable to pull out one final comeback, and the fourth set of the match would be their last of the season.

The set started very similarly to the third, with the two teams trading the lead until the score hit 13-13. Fisher was then called for a double-hit, Emory’s Kelsey Krzyston followed with an ace, and after a Wash. U. timeout, an attack error by sophomore Drew Hargrave put the Emory up 16-13.

From there, the Bears came within one point of tying the match on five different occasions, but they couldn’t close the gap. After a Hargrave kill brought the Emory lead to 21-20, a service error and three straight kills ended the set at 25-20 and the match at 3-1.

For the Bears, it was their two freshman outsides, Blood and Byrne, who led the charge on offense with 15 and 13 kills, respectively, while junior All-American Lauren Budde had 11 and Hargrave had 10. Fisher had 48 assists on the night.

“That was due to excellent scouting, talking on the back-row part, telling me what shots were open at that moment,” Blood said. “Just a lot of communication and a lot of scouting really helped me out with that.”

Defensively, Pang was exceptional, with 30 digs to conclude an excellent run for her to close out the season. Over the team’s final three matches, Pang tallied 85 digs for an incredible 8.5 per set.

“[Kelly is] the best backcourt player in Division III, one of the top liberos in America, regardless of division,” Luenemann said. “She’s the best backcourt player I’ve ever seen in Division III, [and the best that] I’ve ever coached. She’s unbelievable.”

Senior Ali Hoffman also picked up 12 digs in her final match at Wash. U.

While the national player of the year, Emory’s Amelia McCall, was held to a .154 hitting percentage, with 12 kills and 6 errors on 39 attempts, the Bears had no answer for Breanah Borque, who hit .435 and tallied 24 kills – including nine in the clinching set. Natalie Schonefeld picked up 56 assists, which were key to the Eagles’ offensive success, and Emory was strong on the defensive end as four players registered at least 11 digs.

With the loss, Emory snapped the Bears’ 33-game home winning streak, as the Bears’ sensational run on the season ended at a record of 35-4.

“The kids played well on both sides,” Luenemann said. “You just had two great teams play, and one great team lost and one great team won, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Facing off against in-state programs spanning all three NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA, the Bears finished behind the University of Missouri, who finished first for both the men’s and women’s teams.

For the women’s team, freshman Chi Pham led the way, recording five top-seven finishes throughout the meet. Pham finished fourth in the 100-backstroke, fifth in the 200-individual medley, along with sixth-place finishes in the 200-medley relay and 400-freestyle relay.

Senior Kartik Anjur and freshman Brian Carpenter finished eighth in the 200-medley relay, alongside junior J.D. Scott and sophomore Mark Minowitz. Carpenter also finished 11th in both the 100-backstroke and the 50-yard backstroke, while Anjur took 10th place in the 50-yard backstroke.

Both teams compete in their first dual meet of the season on Saturday, Oct. 9, against St. Louis University at home at 1 p.m.

Bill Stover | WUSTL Photo Services

Freshman Hannah Buck hits the ball on April 9 at the McKendree Spring Invitational at Cardinal Creek Golf Club.

With the regular golf season virtually over, the Bears are one of probably 11 teams competing for eight available spots. I figure, however, that three of those spots are just about locked up.

Methodist University, the 12-time defending champion, is almost assured a bid. I see another slot going to No. 4 Amherst College which, like Methodist, plays in a conference that does not have an automatic qualifier. I also think George Fox will get another even though they were upset by unranked Whitworth University in their conference championship by that single stroke.

Assume that, No. 9 Williams College, No. 10 Olivet College, No. 11 Southwestern College, No. 12 Allegheny College, No. 13 St. Lawrence University, Wash. U. and No. 15 Centre College will be the teams left jockeying for the remaining five tickets to the national championship tournament in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.

Comparing Wash. U. to those other teams is tough. I personally believe that Williams and Centre are two of the most underrated teams in Division III, but I also think St. Lawrence is not as impressive as their ranking suggests. So just focusing on the Bears, I’ve been going back and forth between whether I think they should or shouldn’t qualify. That captures the essence of their, and the selection committee’s, dilemma.

For Wash. U., it has been a tale of two teams. On one hand, there was the fall team that took the Division III golf world by storm after a win over a stacked field at the IWU Fall Classic. On the other, there is the spring team that struggled and posted a team average of more than 18 strokes worse than their fall score. The fall team definitely deserved it; it’s questionable whether the spring team does. But the decision is based on some broad criteria—that I think benefits the Bears—and the team’s full body of work.

I think they deserve a shot, though. If I had to judge which team was “the fluke,” I’d say it was the spring season.

It’s important to note that the good scores were still there in the spring; it was just the consistency that was lacking. In just about every round this spring, there were one or two impressive numbers, but the team scores got jacked up by the back nine. That wasn’t the case this fall though, showing that the back nine can be strong.

I also think this team is very solid on the individual level. I’d call freshman Hannah Buck one of the top 10 freshmen in Division III and fellow freshman Melanie Walsh isn’t too far behind. Likewise, sophomore Katie Homa has steadily, albeit quietly, improved her scores, and I get the sense that soon she could be a major contributor.

Finally, I think they’ve turned the corner, and it’s better late than never. The Bears showed signs of improvement the past couple of tournaments, and I think they’d end up being a worthy competitor down in Florida.

Objectivity aside, I want this team to make it down to nationals and you should too. It’s the last chance for a group of seniors who have shown unwavering dedication to really take in the fruit of their work. Senior co-captain Kris Zeschin said earlier in the spring that she and her fellow seniors want to go to nationals “about as bad as you can want it.” Unfortunately that’s not part of the criteria, but they still have hope.